Skoolopedia Founder Feature: Clarice Lim of I Love Learning Achievement Center

From MOE Teacher to Educational Pioneer: How Executive Functions Are Transforming Young Minds

Founded: 2013 | Managing Director: Clarice Lim | Locations: 3 centers across Singapore

The Journey from Classroom to Center

Clarice Lim’s path in education began early—at just 20, she was already teaching in primary school after completing her training at NIE. “I have always been an educator since my working life,” she reflects. After earning her degree as a returning teacher and later moving to lecture at a polytechnic, Clarice noticed something troubling.

“I feel that the kids in Singapore are a bit jaded,” she explains. “When I was teaching at the polytechnic, I found that kids are quite damaged… I was quite sad about it. So I felt that something must have happened along the way up here.”

This observation sparked her mission: to reach younger children and make a meaningful difference in their educational journey. In 2013, she founded I Love Learning Achievement Center (ILLAC) with a simple yet profound goal—to groom the next generation of children who love learning.

Overcoming Early Challenges

Starting wasn’t easy. ILLAC’s first location in a mall in the west came with persistent problems. “Almost every year, we had to close down for about 1 week, because in that mall, they had this drainage issue, and it always happens in our unit,” Clarice recalls. After seven years of dealing with management issues, she made the bold decision to relocate to a nearby commercial building and eventually expanded to three centers.

The Science Behind the Success

What sets ILLAC apart lies in Clarice’s academic background and research focus. Having pursued PhD candidature in the UK (though she ultimately chose to focus on her growing center and family), she discovered a crucial missing component in traditional education: executive functions enhancement.

“There are three main components,” Clarice explains. “Working Memory, which refers to the mental workspace of holding and manipulating information, Mental Flexibility, which is the ability to manage information flexibly—like students adapting to different teachers, different environments, and Inhibitory Control, which is the ability to concentrate, control your impulses, and not jump to conclusions.”

Beyond Traditional Tuition

Unlike conventional tuition centers that focus solely on content delivery, ILLAC “primes the brain before teaching.” As Clarice puts it, “It’s like spreading butter on bread before the jam—learning becomes smoother, richer, and more enjoyable.”

The center serves students from as young as 2 years old through secondary level, with each program infusing executive function training into traditional subjects teaching. “We don’t just present to them ‘CAT, write 10 times.’ We give them physical alphabets, tap on their working memory and mental flexibility, to rearrange the letters to decode the word. While stimulating their working memory, they’re actually learning phonics.”

Remarkable Results

The approach yields impressive outcomes. “70% of our graduates from our preschool program actually go on to GEP,” Clarice shares proudly. She describes a particular success story: a student initially flagged by his kindergarten teacher as potentially having learning difficulties showed a 40% improvement in executive functions after six months. He went on to consistently rank in the top 10 of his class in primary school and achieved AL 9 in PSLE.

“I had a P2 student who was actually doing P4 math, and now he is P5, he’s already doing Sec 1 math,” she notes, while emphasizing that not every student will become gifted—a promise she refuses to make. “Because giftedness is not drilled, it’s discovered and groomed with the right environment,” Clarice explains.

Differentiation in Practice

ILLAC’s approach differs significantly from larger competitors. While some renowned learning centers pride themselves on difficult curricula with large classes—a “sink or swim” approach—ILLAC customizes learning according to each child’s ability with small class sizes of 6-8 students.

“We are very consultative-based, because we respect the individual differences of children, and we understand learning abilities,” Clarice explains. “A lot of centers out there are very delivery-based, we do a mixture of both to ensure we cater to all kinds of learning styles.”

Addressing Common Misconceptions

When parents enquire about programs, they often expect traditional subject classifications. Clarice has learned to explain executive function training in accessible terms: “We enhance the student’s executive functions, which, in layman’s terms, we call it the learning ability stimulation.”

She assures parents: “You don’t need any other math tuition or English tuition, because our program covers all.” The center delivers content while simultaneously boosting cognitive abilities—like eating “bread with butter,” but “our butter is a lot better because it helps the brain think faster and more efficiently.”

Looking Ahead: AI and the Future of Education

Clarice admits to feeling “quite panicky” about the next five years due to AI developments like ChatGPT. “I am trying to pivot myself as well, to make sure we don’t shun away from AI, and we make use of it to our advantage.”

The key, she believes, is “how we treasure the human touch inside the teaching”—emphasizing the irreplaceable value of human connection and understanding of children’s development in education.

Quality Over Expansion

Currently operating three company-owned centers, Clarice deliberately avoids franchising. “I’m very cautious when it comes to the upholding of quality. So I control it quite tightly myself.” She personally trains all teachers, hiring only those with MOE experience or providing intensive mentoring until they’re ready to lead classes independently.

Her expansion plans focus on helping existing centers rather than rapid scaling: “I’m actively expanding now by looking into centers which will need my help. With my expertise in training tutors/teachers, I can help to convert centers into effective and efficient learning places for their students.”

Advice for Parents

When asked for advice to parents navigating today’s education options, Clarice emphasizes two key points: “Treasure the differences in your children. Every child has got different learning abilities. Apart from treasuring the differences in children, understand that learning abilities can be stimulated.”

She continues: “Once you’re able to understand their differences, and you understand that different learning abilities can be boosted, then you will have more faith and more confidence in helping your child to reach a different stage.”

The Human Touch in Education

Perhaps most importantly, Clarice believes in truly understanding each student. “My students really enjoy my classes not only because I can teach well—they also feel that I can go down to their level and understand where they are coming from. When I talk to a teacher, I speak in a teacher manner, but when I speak to different students, I clique with them at their level.”

“When they realize that, hey, this teacher understands me, then it’s a very different thing. They will respect you for the fact that you understand them.”

Final Thoughts

For Clarice, success isn’t just about academic achievement—it’s about creating lifelong learners. “Focusing on the love of learning need not necessarily mean a sacrifice on results. We have found the perfect balance in ensuring that students love learning and score AL1 at the same time.”

As ILLAC continues to grow and adapt to an AI-influenced future, Clarice remains committed to her founding principle: that when children feel confident and engaged, they develop not just better grades, but the focus, resilience, and thinking skills to thrive in life.

I Love Learning Achievement Center operates three locations across Singapore, serving students from preschool through secondary levels. For more information about their executive function-based learning approach, visit their website or contact them directly.